Coupling 2D/3D registration method and statistical model to perform 3D reconstruction from partial x-rays images data

3D reconstructions of the spine from a frontal and sagittal radiographs is extremely challenging. The overlying features of soft tissues and air cavities interfere with image processing. It is also difficult to obtain information that is accurate enough to reconstruct complete 3D models. To overcome these problems, the proposed method efficiently combines the partial information contained in two images from a patient with a statistical 3D spine model generated from a database of scoliotic patients. The algorithm operates through two simultaneous iterating processes. The first one generates a personalized vertebra model using a 2D/3D registration process with bone boundaries extracted from radiographs, while the other one infers the position and the shape of other vertebrae from the current estimation of the registration process using a statistical 3D model. Experimental evaluations have shown good performances of the proposed approach in terms of accuracy and robustness when compared to CT-scan.